"Zenith, did you listen to anything I just said?"
A tall blonde girl asked this with exhausted patience as the boy beside her happily crunched on a dango skewer. Zenith blinked once, then slowly turned toward her.
"Do you want one too?"
The teal-spiked-haired boy grinned and offered the half-eaten skewer right up to her face.
Lumina recoiled so fast that it looked like she dodged an enemy attack.
"Why would I want your half-eaten dango? Did you hear any of the plans I explained?"
"What plans were you talking about?" Zenith asked in an innocent tone.
Lumina pressed a hand to her forehead. This was hopeless. They were doomed. Maybe she should just surrender to her father now…No, but then what is going to happen to…
"You're thinking too hard, Lumina. Here, take this."
She blinked. A perfectly untouched skewer had appeared in front of her.
"…Wait. Did you always have another one?"
"Nope. I grabbed it from that shopkeeper over there. Like this."
Zenith casually reached out, and a dark blue portal unfolded beside his hand. Its border shimmered faintly, while the center was bottomless black.
Lumina instinctively looked toward the shop where he was pointing. A matching portal opened behind the counter—right where the fresh dango sat. A hand snatched it quickly, and the portal closed.
"Here! Want two?" Zenith cheerfully held out another full skewer.
Lumina's golden eyes went dark. She grabbed him by the collar of his blue jacket and dragged him into a nearby empty alleyway.
"Why are you stealing food now?"
"I'm hungry," Zenith said around another bite. "Aren't you? We haven't eaten in two days."
"No," Lumina said firmly—
Her stomach immediately growled loud enough to echo.
Zenith didn't laugh. He quietly held out the untouched skewer and looked at her innocently.
Lumina exhaled. "Fine. I'm hungry. But that still doesn't mean we should steal. If we start acting like criminals, too, then what's the point of this mission? Don't you get what we're trying to do?"
"Yeah," Zenith said innocently. "We're trying to save the continent from your evil pops. He's, like, the most evil guy doing the most evil thing. Wait, what was his plan again?"
"He's working for someone even worse, but—no! That's not the—"
"Excuse me? Do you two want these?"
Both teenagers froze.
A voice appeared right beside them—so close neither sensed it. Lumina jumped back instantly, sweat tracing down her spine. Zenith reacted instantly too; a portal snapped open beneath his arm, and he drew a greatsword from inside of it and aimed it toward the source of the voice.
Standing where they had been was perhaps the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. Emerald hair, smooth white skin, a deep V-neck green dress that hugged her curves and reached her knees, and high heels that made no sound on the cobblestone. She casually held two lunch boxes in her hands as she looked at them with a smile.
Despite her gentle smile, Lumina didn't lower her guard.
No normal person should have been able to approach them unnoticed.
The woman blinked her dark eyes, quietly taking in their tense stances.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. You looked hungry. I made these for my husband, but I couldn't find him. Do you want them instead?"
She sighed dramatically. "He's probably off seeing another woman. I knew my beauty was starting to go stale…"
Lumina stared.
Masterclass acting too.
Absolutely not falling for this.
Zenith, however—
"Madam, are you okay? How can a man cheat on his wife!? Tell me where he is—I'll knock some sense into him!"
His free fist was already raised, burning with righteous fury.
Lumina stifled an exhausted groan. She is so done with this boy who had such a low survival instinct. Even sloths are probably more likely to survive in nature than this guy. Then again, if he had any survival instinct, then he wouldn't follow her on this dangerous mission, so she can't even complain.
She stepped forward quickly before things got out of her hands.
"Madam, thank you for the offer, but we're busy, so we must refuse."
She gave a polite bow and pulled Zenith back.
"But the food will go bad… I made it with so much love… Is my love so weak that it can't even move two young lovebirds? No wonder my husband is done with me, too," the woman sobbed while trying to wipe her tears with one hand.
"We are not lovebirds," Lumina shouted instantly.
Zenith's focus was on something else, however. He sniffed a bit before whispering to the girl "…Lumina, it smells really good."
She shot him a death glare so sharp it could cut steel.
Zenith snapped upright. "R-right! Sorry, madam, we have to…"
He peeked again. Through the translucent lid, steam curled above perfectly cooked rice.
Zenith swallowed loudly.
"…We will refuse," he repeated, voice cracking slightly.
The woman tilted her head.
"You really don't want free food? But you just stole those dangos."
Zenith shoved every remaining dango into his mouth at once.
"We're not stealing, madam! We're—mmfft—taking food on credit! We'll pay it back later!"
The woman's eyes widened.
"I never thought of it like that… sorry for misjudging your character, boy!"
"Hehe." Zenith blushed. "See? She gets it, unlike—OW!"
Lumina smacked the back of his head.
"It doesn't work like that! Stop making excuses!"
"It doesn't? But I've been doing it for years—"
"Did you ever pay back even once?"
"…No."
"Then you are just stealing, you donkey."
The woman looked at them, arguing and stepped closer with a soft smile, her heels clicking quietly as she approached. Zenith and Lumina did not move back this time. The woman looked at them, finally trusting her a bit, and leaned slightly to meet Lumina's eyes.
"You seem like someone who tries to do the right thing every day… but you aren't taking care of yourself. Children like you often chase someone else's dream. But that does not mean you have to ignore yourselves while chasing them."
"I'm not a child," Lumina muttered—
Her stomach betrayed her with another growl.
The woman grinned softly, gently placed both lunch boxes in Lumina's hands, patted her golden hair, and turned away.
"Don't try to grow up too fast, dear. You'll miss moments like these when you look back."
She crossed the street and stepped into an alleyway opposite them.
"Wait, madam," Lumina called out.
Without turning, the woman raised her voice just enough.
" I know you won't take the food for free. There's something between the boxes that I want you to deliver. He'll be in the Iceberg Kingdom, too."
"Deliver… what?" Lumina handed the top box to Zenith and saw a small card on top of the second box as the woman was saying.
"Who are we delivering it to?"
The woman finally turned around. Her emerald hair danced around her as she smiled with playful mischief.
"Hehe… you'll know him when you see him. After all—
He's the one chasing after my dream."
A carriage rolled between them.
And when it passed… the woman was gone.
Lumina stared at the empty alley where she vanished, then slowly lowered her gaze to the card. Zenith leaned in beside her.
"What's that?"
"I'm not sure… seems like a magic card, but I have never seen a card like this in any shop."
The illustration showed several people looking up at a figure with bushy blond hair, blowing a trumpet from above.
At the bottom, one word shone in bold purple:
JUDGEMENT
"Such a weird-looking card," she muttered.
"Did you give the card to them already?"
High atop the city's old clock tower, a man in a brown windbreaker sat on the roof's edge, legs dangling freely over the drop. The evening wind brushed his hair as he quietly looked in the distant horizon.
He heard footsteps behind him. He didn't need to turn to see who it was.
"Yes," the Emerald-haired woman answered softly. "Those kids seem interesting, dear. They kind of reminded me of us when we were younger… I have no doubt they'll one day become great people on their own right. It's just…I wish we could do something about him, too."
Her voice softened as she knelt behind him and wrapped her arms around his head, resting her cheek atop his soft hair.
"Even if we help him, he won't trust us. It'll most likely backfire… For now, give him time. He'll come around." The man said while placing his hand over hers.
"Unfortunately, this runs in my family, even if we cure them from that curse, they will always be obsessed over something and will do anything for it." the woman murmured. "It'd be better if they took after you instead of me."
The woman sighed, then asked quietly,
"What are you looking at?"
"The sunset."
She narrowed her eyes playfully while hugging him a bit more tightly. "Is it more beautiful than me?"
He raised a brow. "Do I hear a threat in that voice?"
"No, you're imagining it."
"Good. Because I wouldn't know how to lie to you."
Her hand came down and smacked the back of his head lightly.
"Yeah," he said with a small sigh, "I saw that coming. Remind me to teach them not to marry beautiful women in the future, otherwise their life would become hell too."
She eased down beside him, letting her head rest gently on his shoulder as the two watched the horizon burn gold and crimson. The light painted the clouds in soft fire, and the air felt warm and quiet around them.
"Yeah…If you hadn't married me," he muttered, "you wouldn't have to deal with all of this…"
The woman couldn't finish her sentence as the man cupped her cheek and kissed her softly, shutting her down.
She froze for a heartbeat… then kissed him back eagerly, too.
The world seemed to pause around them. Only the sound of the wind could be heard there.
After an unknown moment, she pulled away first. As she was panting a bit, her dark eyes locked with his glowing purple ones.
"I told you I'd shut you up if you said things like that," he whispered.
"I know."
"Then why do you—?"
The woman smiled and leaned in, and placed a small kiss on his lips. A quiet, lingering one. Then she stood, brushing imaginary dust from her dress.
"Oh. I will definitely remind them not to fall for beautiful women. Otherwise, they will be played without any bones left to pick," the man whispered, realizing he was being played again.
She walked toward the ladder, chuckled a bit, hearing him complain, and turned around
"Well, with how they look and how capable they both are, no normal girl would dare to stand beside them. So, your wish will always stay as a wish."
"Also, please don't wear those ragged clothes. I prepared something decent for you back at the inn, dear. It's been so long since we've met one of them… you can't look like this in front of our children in such a big event."
She rolled her eyes, looking at his clothes before heading down the ladder.
"The western royal summit…." he murmured.
The man blinked at seeing the disappearing figure, then turned back to the sunset.
"I know you will make your move there…I just hope that you enjoy the surprise I prepared for you there…" The last streaks of gold reflected in his purple eyes, and a terrifying smile formed on his lips as he looked at the distant horizon.
"You know, the sunset actually looks pretty nice today after all those rainy days. But why do I have to share such beautiful moments with you?"
Astro finally tore his gaze from the horizon—
just in time to see a young, yellow-haired, gangster looking person vomiting near a tree.
He stared. Speechlessly.
"I'm kind of regretting bringing you," Astro said as he slid something into his pocket. "Is it too late to get Erza or Natsu? Even Romeo would've been better."
"I can hear you," Laxus croaked, wiping his mouth. "And isn't he four? He's not even a guild member."
"Yeah, and he would still be a better choice than you if this keeps up." Astro gave him a side-eye. "I didn't know you got motion sickness this bad. The train had just started, and you immediately went pale. So what? If I put you on any moving vehicle, you become useless? Are you sure you're an S-Class wizard?"
"Shut up…" Laxus groaned. "It's the Dragon Slayer magic… the more proficient—blegh—the worse the motion sickness gets. And don't tell anyone. Or I'll kill you."
"What?? But it'd be such a good piece of gossip—"
"NO ONE," Laxus barked.
"Okay, okay, I got it," Astro said, hands up defensively.
He stepped behind Laxus, his right hand glowing faintly purple.
"What are you doing?" Laxus asked weakly.
"Don't move. Let me try something."
Astro shut his eyes, focused, then slowly opened them.
His purple irises glowed softly.
"Troia."
A small purple magic circle appeared in front of his glowing hand, releasing a glowing orb that drifted into Laxus's chest from behind.
Laxus blinked. Then stood upright.
"…Huh?"
"How do you feel?" Astro asked.
"The motion sickness… It's gone." Laxus turned toward him, stunned. "How? What did you do?"
"There was a spell in the notebook Granny Porlyusica gave me. I didn't think it'd work instantly… or maybe it did because it was specifically made for Dragon Slayers. Interesting."
"Guys—" a voice tried to cut in, but they ignored it.
Laxus glared at Astro. "Wait. Could you do this the whole time? Why was I suffering the entire train ride then?!"
Astro snorted. "Don't blame me. I was trying to learn it quickly after seeing your situation. Do you know how hard it was to study on a shaking train while a giant blond man was gagging beside me? You should be thanking me."
"What? You learned it too slowly! You useless twig."
"What did you call me? I learned an advanced spell in one afternoon for you! Do you have any idea how hard that is?!"
"Guys—"
Still ignored.
"Next time, if you have a weakness, let us know beforehand."
"I said I'd use magic to travel—first thing I said!"
"Then don't be cryptic about it!"
"GUYS."
Both turned.
Mystogan stood there, head tilted slightly behind his mask.
"…Please save your married-couple argument for later," he said dryly. "We're surrounded."
Astro blinked. "Oh. Right. Probably the council or royal guards. We did have to get off at one station early because of Laxus. They are probably suspicious because of it."
"Shut up," Laxus grumbled.
He crossed his arms. "No guild is allowed to put headquarters in the capital. And wizard activity here is heavily monitored. Without a good reason, we're not welcome. So they are probably a routine check."
Mystogan nodded and turned slightly. "Then I'll leave for now. I will keep a look at the surroundings."
"Thanks, Mystogan. Really," Astro said, giving him a small wave.
Laxus just nodded. Surprisingly, without any attitude this time.
Well, Astro wasn't really surprised. For a mission this serious, even Laxus knew arrogance could get them the entire country as an enemy. Whatever else he was, Laxus hadn't become an S-Class wizard by being stupid.
Mystogan saw that they both calmed down and turned around to vanish into the mist.
Laxus stared at the empty space there, then looked up at the dimming sky. Only to see a glowing purple symbol flicker overhead.
"They're using runes…" Laxus whispered.
"So it's the Magic Council," Astro muttered. "Chances we can escape if a fight breaks out?"
Laxus grinned. "Hundred percent. But the aftermath would be annoying to deal with."
"Thought so." Astro sighed as he put his hands into the pockets of his black windbreaker and looked to his left. "Let's hope they at least talk first."
Around twenty council officers in cyan-white uniforms approached in formation, staves in hand. Their leader, wearing glasses and a blue jacket with an ankh crest—and a white cape—stepped forward.
"It has been some time, Astro Blackmist. And Laxus Dreyar, grandson of Master Makarov."
Astro heard Laxus click his tongue and bumped him with an elbow, signalling that he would do the talking for now.
"Mr. Lahar," Astro greeted politely, hands still in his pockets.
Since Lahar didn't offer a handshake, Astro didn't bother either.
Lahar smiled professionally as he stopped in front of them. "Just Lahar is fine. Feels like only yesterday you completed your first mission and handed me those criminals. Now you're half a celebrity in Ishgar. Time flies so fast, doesn't it? But… I heard that there were three of you?"
Astro shrugged casually. "Really? I guess Laxus does look like two people standing together. Anyway, we can grab a drink another day and reminisce, but we're in a hurry right now."
Lahar did not doubt Astro's word; after all, he did not believe anyone could escape this place right now. He chuckled lightly, looking at Astro. "You don't have to rush. I know why you're here. So, right now we are hoping you two would follow us."
He waved his hand. "This area is sealed by our rune mages. Protocol states that any wizard entering the royal castle must register with us beforehand. We'll escort you to the castle gates after we're done with the customs."
Astro blinked. "That sounds… like a lot of unnecessary work."
"That's how things are now," Lahar replied in a helpless tone. "After last year's invasion attempt, the council is on high alert for capital security."
"Oh, I see. Sorry for the trouble then." Astro pointed toward their bags near a tree. "Mind if we grab our stuff first?"
"Take your time," Lahar said, turning around as his men parted to make a path.
Astro and Laxus walked to retrieve their bags.
"This feels kinda excessive…" Laxus muttered.
"Yeah…" Astro agreed, glancing back at the council members.
"Hey, Laxus," he said quietly. "There were rumors Alakitasia planned an invasion somewhere in Ishgar… but the location was never revealed to the public."
Laxus paused before picking up his bag. "…Not our problem. Wizards aren't allowed in large-scale wars anymore. Even if a war happens, it won't affect us."
Astro looked at Laxus's back for a moment, wanting to ask whether Alakitasia would care about the Ishgar Magic Council's rules…
But after a few seconds, he shook his head.
No use wasting energy on unnecessary topics now, Astro put the thought on the back of his mind for now.
He slung the backpack over his shoulder and followed after Lahar, as he glanced at the lights turning on in the capital city, Crocus, in the distance.